Our first night in our new home in the village of Nyenga was, ironically, the best sleep we'd had in days. The blaring radio that woke me up at 6:45 was more familiar than inconvenient. As I lay listening to Ugandan gospel and Michael W. Smith, I could not help but reflect over the last few days.
Our travel to Uganda via Istanbul went smoothly and felt quick, and the Lord's hand was behind every step of the journey. Thank you for all your prayer for Corinne and me as we traveled! Reservations at the Airport Guest House in Entebbe were finalized while we were in the air. Once we stepped off the plane, the African sights, sounds, and smells that greeted us were very familiar - like an old childhood friend. The Gwartneys, site directors at Good Shepherd's Fold, picked us up from Entebbe and drove us to GSF - even stopping to let us pick up supplies on the way. We were received at the gate by a throng of clapping and dancing toddlers.
After spending the night at the GSF guest house, we went out the next day with our "realtor" Louis (a GSF employee) to check out the housing options he had picked for us. The very first place he took us was just what we were looking for - and more. There was a room for rent that is part of a horseshoe-shaped block of apartments. This orientation effectively forms a self-contained community that is inherently (relatively) safe. The latrines are shared among 2 or 3 tenants - as opposed to the whole community, and there are attached bathing areas. And what's more, that very "complex" is where Louis himself and David - another GSF employee - reside. We were pretty sold on it, but we decided to check out the other two places Louis had picked out as well. The second place was more isolated and the third place too far from GSF, and so we decided on the first. The next afternoon, we moved our things into our new home, a room measuring 9'11" x 11'4". With no less than 7 neighborhood kids "helping," we cleaned and got to know a few of our new neighbors. Below are some pictures of move-in day:
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| First things first - taking care of the spiders |
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| Our movers |
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| Full house shot! |
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| Thankful that we have a window |
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| Our porch =) |
In the day and a half that we have been here, we have had the opportunity to put cultural things into practice, such as greeting our neighbors when we see them. We have also begun learning the practical ins and outs of village life like how to get water by filling 20L jerry cans, or how to keep the floor clean when surrounded by mud. Corinne especially has had to learn the intricacies of the charcoal stove, including (but not limited to) lighting, fanning, cooking, and dousing.
My dad said something to me a couple years back that has stuck with me since: "The Lord goes before you." He was paraphrasing Moses's exhortation to Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:8: "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." In just these last few days, Corinne and I have seen evidence of the Lord going before us. We are excited about what else he has prepared for us in the next year!
There will be more pictures to come as we get settled in and organized. Meanwhile, please pray for the following:
1. Praise God for the gift of a new home!
2. Pray that we would get settled into the community quickly.
3. Pray for patience for me and Corinne as we adjust to village life.
4. Pray for our GSF students as their school year begins soon. The beginning of a school year is always a busy time.
